HighLights of the AAP National Wire at 14:45, Feb 14

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HighLights of the AAP National Wire at 14:45, Feb 14

CANBERRA - The federal opposition today accused Prime Minister John Howard of misleadingAustralians about his knowledge of claims that asylum seekers threw children overboard.

(Boat Second Daylead, see also Boat sidebars)

CANBERRA - Prime Minister John Howard today said he did not feel let down by formerdefence minister Peter Reith over false claims that asylum seekers threw children intothe sea. (Boat Howard)

CANBERRA - Former defence minister Peter Reith today blamed bungling by defence bureaucratsfor the government's failure to correct claims that asylum seekers threw their childrenoverboard. (Boat Reith Daylead)

BOAT NIGHTLEAD to come

CANBERRA - Most Australians believed intelligence services should be used where thenational interest was involved, Prime Minister John Howard said today. (Spy Howard, seealso Spy sidebars)

CANBERRA - Former Howard government defence minister Peter Reith today again refusedto answer questions about his knowledge of the alleged Tampa spy incident. (Spy Reith)

CANBERRA - Defence Minister Robert Hill today spelled out further details of an inadvertenterror made by the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD), apparently at the time of the Tampacrisis. (Spy Hill)

SPY NIGHTLEAD to come

CANBERRA - Employment Minister Tony Abbott said today there was growing evidence labourmarket conditions would improve in the first half of this year. (Jobs Abbott, see alsoJobs sidebars)

ECONOMY NIGHTLEAD to come

ADELAIDE - Labor premier-in-waiting Mike Rann today urged the Liberal Party to acceptdefeat in the battle for power in South Australia or risk being labelled sore losers.

(PollSA 2nd Daylead)

ADELAIDE - South Australian Premier-in-waiting Mike Rann today backed the independentMP that put him into government as an ideal candidate to be speaker in the next parliament.

(PollSA Speaker)

ADELAIDE - South Australia's parliament faces its biggest shake-up for more than 60years, thanks to one man's desire for reform. (PollSA News Analysis to come)

POLLSA NIGHTLEAD to come

MELBOURNE - Ansett administrators are confident of finalising the vital Sydney airportlease today as their top lawyer Leon Zwier flies to Sydney to prepare to sign off thedeal. (Ansett Airport, ANSETT NIGHTLEAD to come)

SYDNEY - Lawyers for captured Australian Taliban fighter David Hicks today said theycould not see how Hicks could be charged with any offence under Australian law. (Hicks)

LOS ANGELES - Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe should clear some space in their trophycabinets. (Oscars Betting Daylead)

TOWNSVILLE - An 82 year old American ex-serviceman is searching for the woman who stolehis heart while he was stationed in north Queensland in World War Two. (VALENTINE YANKto come)

CANBERRA - Love-struck mobile phone users are expected to send more than three milliontext messages as they celebrate Valentine's Day today. (Telstra SMS)

VALENTINE NIGHTLEAD to come

SYDNEY - John Fairfax Holdings Ltd today moved to stem losses from its f2 online divisionafter posting a 53 per cent fall in first half net profit. (Fairfax Nightlead)

MELBOURNE - BHP half year profits late this afternoon. (BHP to come, NIGHTLEAD to come)

SYDNEY - Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting today put their hands up for the newly vacantposition of Australian one-day cricket captain. (Cricket Aust Contenders. To come: CRICKETAUST NIGHTLEAD, CRICKET AUST REACTION)

SALT LAKE CITY - Steven Bradbury and fellow Australian Mark McNee have moved throughto the Winter Games 1,000 metres short track speed skating quarterfinals after finishedfinishing first and second respectively in their heats. (OLY AUST coverage to come)

AAP mo

KEYWORD: HIGHLIGHTS NATIONAL